Thursday, December 04, 2008

Cheryl Shops...Mulberry and LaROK/Elizabeth & JamesEncouraged by Racked's glowing report of the Mulberry sample sale, I headed over to the Metropolitan Pavilion after work. The good: The sale is not crowded, there's a ton of merchandise organized neatly on tables, and Mulberry bags are gorgeously made out of buttery leather. But while prices are really good considering what they usually retail for (ballpark: $1,200), they were still way out of my reach. The least expensive purse is $199; most were around $499; but my favorite, the Roxanne, was still a painful $799. But considering how much inventory was left at 7 p.m., I'm guessing prices will be marked way down tomorrow, which is the last day. Hours are 10-7, and it's at the Metropolitan Pavilion, 123 W. 18th St. (6th & 7th Aves.), 5th floor.

After Mulberry, I headed over to the LaROK/Elizabeth & James sale, which is a few doors down the street. The space is large and well organized and labeled by size; all of the E&J is wisely in the front, with the LaROK in the back--I think Elizabeth & James (the Olsen twins' contemporary line) is really great, whereas LaROK is a bit too...Los Angeles for my taste. Anyway, while there was a lot of merchandise, none of it totally rocked my boat, especially in light of the prices: For E&J, tees are $25, shirts are $99, dresses are $125, and jackets are $175. LaROK had already marked down their prices by the time I got there--tops were $49-$69, dresses were $79-$99, and prices topped out at $109 for outerwear. Since the sale has two days left, hopefully more reductions are on the way. Through 12/6; 10-8; 145 W. 18th St. (6th & 7th Aves.).

If you like Andrea Brueckner's bags at all, you should check out her sample sale. Prices were very reasonable. I got two bags for $195 total that probably retail for $1400 or so. Sale ends today at 7 pm. 307 W 38th St, Suite 1412, New York, NY 10018 (between 8th and 9th Av)